


Pretty Clever/Dumb For A Cop

by Strato_Fall007



Series: My Showdown Bandit Ocs [1]
Category: Showdown Bandit (Video Game), Showdown Bandit - Fandom
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Physical Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22024042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strato_Fall007/pseuds/Strato_Fall007
Summary: This is a fanfic about my Showdown Bandit Oc Rookie and how she met Showdown Bandit and how things went downhill with her and the sheriff, if you would like to learn more about her then go to my Tumblr, my url is strato-fall06
Series: My Showdown Bandit Ocs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1585273
Kudos: 2





	Pretty Clever/Dumb For A Cop

**Author's Note:**

> Just a warning to ya'll, this fic involves physical and emotional abuse so if you find that material uncomfortable then this fic isn't for you

Rookie sat and waited at the bank for what felt like hours, whenever anyone would eye her suspiciously and ask her why she was loitering, she would flash them the shiny police badge in her shirt pocket and they would immediately stop staring and turn a blind eye to her. She knew a bank robbery was going to happen soon and it would be committed by the Showdown Bandit and several random bad guys but she was more interested in nabbing the main character with a scheme she had been working on for a while.

She got to her knees and did another search around the bank and this time her search bared some reward, she saw a flash of that unforgettable orange bandana and smiled to herself, she ran into the bank and got into position. She felt her grin grow when she heard a struggle and shouting in the back. Suddenly the Showdown bandit jumped out of the window in the bank office with a bag of money slung over his back, several other bandits followed behind him pulling out guns and trying to shoot him. Rookie joined the crowd and kept a close eye on Showdown, while the crowd ran for the door, Rookie ran after the Bandit and followed him to the back door. The Bandit shut the door behind him but jumped back in surprise when the door burst open to reveal a young teen.

“What are you doing here?” The bandit shouted.

Rookie turned to look at him, “Uh, I panicked?” Rookie replied nervously.

Bandit sighed and found a random piece of wood and set it against the door to deter the antagonists from following him, there was a loud banging on the door and Bandit felt confident that nothing could break through the door until a large scythe broke through the door, splitting the plank of wood in half, the door was kicked open to reveal the terrifying, infamous Faceless Bandit. Rookie and Bandit both jumped back and looked at the scarred puppet in fear, Faceless took a few steps forward and the two smaller puppets took a few steps back.

“If it isn’t the Showdown Bandit, where do you think you’re going?” Faceless asked in his deep, gravely voice.

“The hell away from here,” Showdown replied nervously.

Showdown then grabbed Rookie’s hand and pulled her along, getting them further away from the terrifying villain. Showdown spotted an unattended wagon and ran to it, he unhooked the horse from it and climbed onto it and pulled Rookie on to it and ran into the distance away from the Faceless Bandit. After several minutes of running in the distance, the feeling of panic faded and they sat in awkward silence.

“You know, by now I would expect you to scream or demand to be let off or at least threaten me, I’m not complaining but what’s the deal?” Showdown asked.

“To be fair, you did just pull me out of a dangerous situation so I should at least be grateful and not yell at you,” Rookie replied, still avoiding his gaze.

Showdown looked at her curiously, “You’re not like the other townspeople, are you?” He asked.

Rookie let out a small chuckle, “No, not really,” she replied.

“Well, the sheriff’s probably looking for me, and you, considering you’re probably viewed as missing right now. We’ll camp since it would take too long to go back to town,” Bandit paused for a moment, “that and I think if I went back to the town, I would not have a very kind welcoming,” Bandit joked.

Rookie didn’t respond, she just continued to look in the distance, Showdown frowned at her silence and looked forward, he saw a cave structure and concluded it would be a good place to camp for the night. Rookie was silent but still helped the Bandit set everything up and helped him start the fire, she was silent for most of the night and just stared out into the desert.

“So, uh, you got any family?” Showdown asked awkwardly.

Rookie paused for a moment before answering, “My mom Selma, you might know her,” Rookie replied.

“Oh, you mean the doctor, that’s your mom?” Bandit asked.

“Yeah, she and I don’t look so alike, we hear it a lot,” Rookie said with a small smile.

“Oh, so you take more after your dad? Who is he?” Bandit asked.

Rookie’s smile immediately dropped and she curled in on herself and looked at the ground, “Promise not to laugh,” She mumbled.

“Why would I laugh?” Bandit asked, tilting his head.

“Just promise not to laugh.” Rookie barked, clenching her fists and looking angrily at the Bandit.

Bandit held his hands up in surrender, “Alright, I promise, I won’t laugh,” He replied.

Rookie unclenched her fists and went back to looking at the ground, “I don’t actually know who my dad is, my mom won’t tell me who he is, just says he’s not around anymore,” Rookie replied sadly.

“Oh,” Bandit muttered, “I’m sorry to hear that, but you shouldn’t care about him, he’s an asshole for leaving you,” Bandit spoke.

Rookie looked at him and smiled, “Thanks, “She paused, “What about you?” She asked.

Bandit shrunk a bit when she said that and he fiddled with his fingers, “No, I wasn’t made a kid or with any family,” He replied quietly.

Rookie looked at him with pity before he forced a smile, “But it’s fine! Besides, family would tie me down,” He grinned.

“What about friends?” Rookie asked.

“I’m the Showdown Bandit, if you haven’t noticed, everyone wants me dead,” He replied bluntly.

“Oh, sorry to hear that, you seem like a pretty cool guy,” Rookie said.

Bandit seemed surprised by Rookie’s reply but managed to speak “Thanks,” He replied.

He sat silent for a moment before breaking the silence, “You know, everyone knows me but I’ve never seen you before, why’s that?” He asked.

“Oh, I’m pretty new, I haven’t been around for that long,” Rookie answered.

“So, how’s existing so far?” Bandit asked.

“Pretty good so far, there’s a lot of action happening around me, not a lot of quiet moments but I’m okay with that,’ Rookie replied.

“Cool, so have you seen rain yet?” Bandit asked.

“No, but I’ve heard of it, what’s it like?” Rookie asked, turning to look at the outlaw.

“It’s just a bunch of water coming down from the sky, I don’t prefer it but most of the kid puppets like to play in it,” Bandit answered.

“Is the water warm, hot, cold?” Rookie asked, getting closer to the bandit.

“Eh, kind of cold, but not freezing, it is very heavy though and the stage takes a while to dry afterwards,” He answered, shrugging, “I think you’d like it,” Bandit added on.

Rookie seemed very happy and engaged to the topic, she began asking him more about Showdown Valley and all the things she had yet to see.

“What about fireworks? What are they like?” Rookie asked, lying on the ground and resting her head on her hands.

“Oh, fireworks are beautiful, but they’re also really loud, but it’s worth it,” Bandit answered.

“What do they look like, everyone I’ve asked always has a different description for them,” Rookie asked.

Bandit sat and thought for a moment, trying to word together a description, “Hm, they’re hard to describe, they’re something you have to see. But if I had to describe it, I’d say it looks like an explosion mixed with color and sparkles,” Bandit answered with a grin.

Rookie seemed enthralled with his description, ”So when can I see them?” She asked.

“Well, there’s gonna be a party next month, it’s a yearly thing, they always do fireworks for it,” He paused for a moment, “You know, there’s this spot I always go to watch the fireworks, it has a great view, I could show you it at some point if you want, just don’t tell anyone about it.” He offered with a wink.

Rookie at first seemed thrilled by the offer, but then her smile faded a bit when she realized she wasn’t trying to befriend this outlaw, she was trying to trick him.

Bandit noticed her grin lower and chucked it up to being nervous to take the offer since he was an outlaw.

“I get it, you don’t want to, I am THE showdown bandit, you know, you don’t wanna be caught hanging out with me.” He said, waving a hand to act like her hesitance was no big deal.

Rookie was surprised by his phrase and rushed to disprove his assumptions,” No that’s not it at all,” She stuttered a bit, “Well, it kind of is, but still, I think I’ll take up your offer, I just gotta think about it for a bit,” She replied.

“Well, if you want to, just let me know,” He spoke.

There was an awkward silence between them until the Bandit broke it again.

“Welp, I’m beat, night,” Bandit called out.

“Night,” Rookie replied quietly.

She waited a bit until she was sure the Bandit was asleep, she then went to the horse that was resting near the fire and took off its bridle and ripped it to pieces and used the long leather string to tie the Bandit’s hands behind his back and tie his legs together. Rookie sat by the Bandit and waited for the sheriff to arrive, when she heard the sound of hooves clopping getting closer, she grinned. Soon she saw the imposing figure that was the sheriff, he looked up to see the small kid and looked surprised.

“Rookie, this is where you were?” He asked, he approached her, “What are you doing here?” He continued.

“I’m pleased to inform I caught the infamous Showdown Bandit.” Rookie replied, gesturing to the sleeping figure next to her.

The sheriff looked surprised when she said it, he leaned down to examine the sleeping figure and smiled to himself when he saw it was the criminal he had been struggling to catch for so long.

“So, should we wake him?” Rookie asked.

“Let’s do it, I wanna see the look on his face when he realizes he’s been tricked,” Sheriff smiled evilly.

Rookie seemed hesitant to wake him, but obeyed the sheriff anyway. She shook the outlaw until she started to hear him stir from his sleep, the outlaw slowly opened his eyes and looked at Rookie, then his eyes shifted to the figure next to her and panicked when he noticed it was the sheriff. He jumped back and tried to run but noticed he couldn’t separate his arms or his legs.

“What, but how?” He whispered, sounding baffled.

“Sorry Bandit.” Rookie replied, putting her hand into her shirt pocket and pulling out a police badge and pinning it on to her shirt, “But I’m afraid I’m not the little innocent teenager you thought I was,” she said in a mocking tone.

Bandit looked at her shocked and then his brows furrowed in anger, “You lied to me, you were just an undercover cop,” He growled.

“Bingo! Correct!” She said gleefully, pointing finger guns at him, “The reason I’m called Rookie, is because I’m a Rookie cop!” She said, thrilled by her success of tricking the outlaw.

Bandit looked angry but if he was being honest with himself, he felt more embarrassed than anything else, he fell for her scheme and he had no clue before it was too late. The sheriff grabbed him from behind and put him on the horse, Rookie followed behind the sheriff and got on the horse Bandit had used to get them to the cave.

Before setting off on their journey back home, the sheriff turned to young cop, “Good job Rookie,” he spoke.

Rookie felt her wooden heart sing at those words, she felt her grin growing until it was ear to ear, she felt a sort of happiness and pride that she had never felt before and couldn’t describe. They went into the desert and soon reached town, people cheered at the sight of the bandit being caught, the bandit kept his head down and he looked sad and hopeless. Rookie’s pride was being replaced with a feeling of anxiety and she didn’t understand why, she did her job and the sheriff was proud of her, that should’ve gotten her ecstatic but instead she felt almost guilty and anxious.

The sheriff stopped his horse and got down and handed the bandit to Rookie, she grabbed the bandit’s arms to make sure he wouldn’t try to make a run for it, however with the way he looked and how his back slumped, she didn’t think he’d make an effort if she let him go. The sheriff addressed the crowd and Rookie listened eagerly, he spoke about how the town will be safe from the troublesome bandit and how no one escapes the law. Rookie was grinning while listening to his speech however one sentence made her immediately lose her happy grin.

“And to pay for all his crimes, this man shall be hanged and executed!” Sheriff spoke.

Rookie felt her wooden heart drop into her gut and she felt a sense of panic and dread, the bandit however didn’t seem to react, almost as if he was expecting him to say that. She, however, thought they were just gonna lock him up for a bit, make him serve some time, and let him go and do it all over again in case he did it again. She wasn’t expecting they would actually kill someone, the sheriff spoke to the crowd more and concluded the speech with the date of the execution, as the crowd dispersed and went on their merry way as if the sheriff didn’t talk about killing a man, Rookie nervously approached the sheriff and tried to speak to him.

“Um, sheriff? I have a question?” She said as she followed him and pulled the bandit along behind her.

“What?” He said.

“Well, it’s just, I wasn’t exactly expecting us to actually KILL, anyone,” she answered nervously, “Do we have to kill him, why can’t he just serve some time?” She questioned.

The sheriff immediately turned around and stared her down, “Because serving time wouldn’t help anyone, he’ll just get out and do it all over again, this is the only way to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone again.” He answered, rising back up to his level, “and besides, he’s a bandit, he doesn’t deserve any kindness.” He continued, turning around so his back faced Rookie.

Rookie felt an ache in her chest she couldn’t explain, she had never felt like this before, she felt sad, guilty, afraid, confused, a lot of things, but none of them were good feelings. Rookie followed the sheriff into his office and went to the back room were they had all the holding cells, she opened the door and nudged the bandit inside, he didn’t even seem to fight it, he just walked inside and sat down on the bench.

Rookie turned around and sat at the jailor desk, they didn’t currently have a jailor so she acted as one whenever they caught a crook, she tapped her finger on the wooden desk as her mind raced with concepts and thoughts she had never felt or thought of before, she took her hand off the desk and started to naw on the finger as she leaned back in the chair, still lost in thought.

“That finger taste good?” Showdown asked mockingly.

She groaned and turned the chair to face him, “Shut up, I don’t need to hear anything from you right now,” She hissed.

“You know, you looked really nervous when Sheriff made that speech, why is that?” He asked.

Rookie turned the chair away from him so she wasn’t in his line of sight, “It’s none of your business,” She replied.

“I’m sorry but you seemed so eager and happy before and then you just, switched, I’m curious as to why,” Bandit said with a shrug.

“It’s like I said, it’s none of your business!” She hissed.

“Rookie,” the bandit called out gently.

This hit Rookie like a bullet to the heart and she couldn’t understand why it did.

“I’m asking you what’s wrong, as a friend,” He continued.

Those words tugged at her heart strings, but then she felt a weird defensive, embarrassed, and confusing feeling rise in the pit of her stomach, she got up and spun around to face the caged criminal, she pointed at him angrily,” We are not friends! You are a bandit! I am a cop! We can’t be friends and we never will be!” She shouted, her wooden cheeks blooming as red as roses.

Bandit looked at her for second before speaking, “You see, you say all that, but I don’t think you believe it,” he replied.

Rookie froze and just stared at him, she looked at the floor and sighed and sat back down on the chair and turned it to face the bandit, she put her head in her hands and looked miserable.

“Why is this so hard? Why do I have all these feelings in my chest? I don’t even know what half of them are!” She spoke.

“What do you feel?” Bandit asked.

Rookie paused, trying to find words to describe her feelings, “I feel, nervous, anxious, angry, confused, but for some reason I feel guilty the most,” She replied.

“You probably feel that way because you weren’t expecting the execution bit, were you?” He guessed.

“No! I just thought we were gonna give you some time and a slap on the wrist, not kill you!” Rookie exclaimed.

Bandit sighed, seeming amused by her naivety,” Yeah, that’s Showdown Valley for you,” Bandit replied.

Rookie sighed, “I don’t wanna kill you, you don’t deserve that,” She spoke, sounding heartbroken

“Yeah, I don’t wanna die either, but, there’s not really much we can do about it,” Showdown replied.

“There has to be a solution,” Rookie said, furrowing her brows in concentration.

An idea popped into her head and she lifted her head in realization and turned her head to look at the bandit, she approached the cell and the bandit looked up at her.

“What?” He asked.

“I have an idea, but you can’t tell anyone, not even hint at it, and I need you to do what I say without question,” Rookie answered sternly.

“Uh, okay?” Bandit replied confused.

Rookie waved her hand, signaling for him to come closer, he got up from the bench and leaned in, Rookie began to whisper in his ear about her plan.

“Ever since the Jailor left, night shifts haven’t been as well guarded, and I know where he kept the keys to the jail cell and how to unlock the back door, I’ll arrive late at night and enter through the backdoor, get the key, get you out, and we escape through the cover of night! Understand?” Rookie explained.

“Sure, but aren’t you a cop? Doesn’t this kind of go against your job? Letting go of criminals?” Showdown asked.

“No, killing people goes against my job,” Rookie replied.

Bandit smiled at her when she said that, “You know, you’re pretty clever for a cop,” he smiled.

Rookie looked down at him confused, “How am I clever?” She asked.

“Well, you get that some people don’t deserve death, nearly every other cop would shoot me as soon as they see me,” Bandit explained.

Rookie felt some of her guilt fade away and be replaced by a feeling of pride and righteousness, however she did still feel nervous, after all she was going to be breaking in after hours and freeing an outlaw. If anyone saw her, that would be the end of her, no more Rookie.

“Thanks, but seriously, don’t tell anyone! If you do, we’ll both be dead,” Rookie warned.

Bandit brought his fingers to his mouth and made a zipping motion and then flicked his fingers, “My lips are sealed,” He replied.

Rookie smiled at him and turned around and left the office, she immediately bumped into the sheriff and panicked internally, worrying that he knew about her little plan, she looked up to the tall man and forced a nervous smile.

“Oh sheriff, sorry, I came out to ask to survey the town, you know, make sure there are no other bandits lurking around,” Rookie explained.

Sheriff looked at her suspiciously and Rookie felt her stomach twist into knots and she focused on holding it together and not breaking under the pressure.

“Sure,” Sheriff replied.

Rookie felt her stomach uncoil and a weight be lifted off of her shoulders, she walked past him but stopped in her tracks when the sheriff called out to her.

“Rookie, are you okay?” Sheriff asked.

Rookie internally panicked, fearing that the sheriff had caught on and had already figured out her plan, she forced down her fears and turned around to face the sheriff.

“I’m fine, it’s just a bit jarring, we actually caught the Showdown Bandit, and I played a key part in it,” She replied.

Sheriff looked at her for a bit and then spoke, “I just want you to know, I am proud of what you did, Rookie,” He spoke.

Rookie felt an indescribable feeling in her gut, it was neither good or bad, and that made her nervous, because that made it harder to understand. While she was proud that she got the sheriff to say he was proud of her, she was also going behind his back to let his worst enemy go, but then again, Showdown didn’t deserve death. It was all so confusing so she shoved it into the far reaches of her mind.

She looked at the sheriff and smiled, “Thank you sir, “She replied.

Sheriff turned around and walk into the jailor’s office, Rookie felt a little concerned for Showdown but there was nothing she could do for him right now, she turned around and walked into town, thinking further on her plan.

While Rookie walked into town, the sheriff entered the jailor’s office and stared down at the bandit, he glared at the shorter man and approached him, Showdown didn’t seem to care or be bothered by the presence of the cop, he just stared right back at him. The sheriff sat in the chair and turned it to face the criminal, he looked smugly at the outlaw.

“Well look who it is, the infamous showdown bandit, bet you never thought you’d be caught but here you are, and you weren’t even done in by the best. No, you were caught by a rookie cop, that’s gotta be pretty embarrassing,” Sheriff mocked.

Showdown groaned and tried to ignore the cop, turned his head away from him.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow, to see you die, years of trial and error will have finally paid off,” Sheriff grinned evilly.

Showdown looked at the cop, “I wouldn’t bet on that, you and I both know they won’t let me die,” Showdown mocked, pointing above when he mentioned the puppeteers.

Sheriff growled and reached through the bars to grab the outlaw’s bandana and pulled him up to the bars so they were closer, he glared at Showdown with a look that could kill.

“Not today, I’ve worked too hard to let this all go down the drain because some assholes pulling strings happen to favor you more!” Sheriff shouted.

“You see, you say that you did all that hard work, and yet it wasn’t you that caught me,” Bandit paused and smirked at the sheriff through the bars, “It was a rookie cop,” Bandit whispered mischievously, drinking up the sheriff’s anger and annoyance.

Sheriff growled and threw him to the ground and he landed with a hard thud and groaned in pain, the sheriff turned around quickly but before leaving he turned his head to look at the bandit.

“Tomorrow, bandit. Tomorrow, you die,” He hissed.

Bandit kept a calm and cool smirk until the cop left but it dropped when the door closed, he was terrified, worrying that Rookie was lying or that she would back out at the last minute or that she would fail somehow. He knew that his life rested in her hands and it made him feel powerless, to rely on someone so much, it filled him with more fear than he could describe. He got on to the bench and curled into a ball, trying to sleep and praying to whatever god was out there that they would spare him and save him at the last minute or at least promise him a happy afterlife.

Meanwhile Rookie was simply stalling for time and pretending to be busy by looking for crooks, while walking she pondered about the plan and how to avoid the other cops and what excuses she could to use to explain why she was at the Jailor’s office at such a late hour, no matter what failsafe she thought of, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong and she was going to wound up being hung with showdown bandit. Time went by faster than she expected and she jumped when she heard the sheriff call out to her.

“Rookie, your shift’s over, you can go home,” Sheriff called out.

“Yes sir,” Rookie replied.

She turned around and ran to home, a small house that also acted as a doctor’s office, she thought that the familiar presence of home would settle her nerves but she still found herself feeling anxious and her stomach was still tied up in knots. She opened the door and was surprised when she saw not only her mom but also the shop owner, Penny Hemsworth, and Miss Undertaker.

“There she is,” Selma said with a sweet smile when she saw her child.

“The hero that did in the Showdown Bandit,” Penny added on.

Rookie blushed at the compliment,” Oh please, I wouldn’t call myself a hero.” Rookie replied while rubbing the back of her neck.

“C’mon kid, don’t sell yourself short, you actually did it,” Undertaker said.

“Aw, thanks,” Rookie replied while blushing profusely.

“We heard about it from the sheriff, I tell ya, I’ve never seen him that happy,” Penny beamed.

Rookie looked at Penny with a bit of surprise until a small smile grew on her face, “Really?” Rookie asked.

“Yep, you made him proud,” Selma answered.

Rookie felt her grin grow, the sheriff wasn’t just saying he was proud, he actually meant it. She felt a kind of happiness and a feeling of pay off she had never felt before. She felt such happiness that for a moment she forgot about her little scheme, her smile grew smaller when she finally remembered but she forced the large smile to stay so no one would suspect anything.

“So, what are you two doing here?” Rookie asked Penny and Undertaker.

“Well, Undertaker’s paint got chipped real bad so I brought her here and while getting here we heard the news so we decided to stay a bit to wait for you to come and celebrate!” Penny explained with a large, welcoming smile.

“To celebrate, we’re having a little feast at the bar!” Selma grinned.

This really was a celebration, most of the time Selma and Rookie ate at home by themselves, it was a quiet night at their place most of the time. They went out the door to the town’s bar and ate while talking about Rookie’s achievement, many times people would pass their table and congratulate Rookie on a job well done. Rookie had never felt so happy but she felt guilty, while she was being treated like a hero and eating a nice meal, Showdown was in a jail cell all alone and in the dark, but she forced those feelings down and pretended to be thrilled.

When they arrived at home, Rookie gave the excuse that she tired and went to bed early, she sat awake waiting for the sound of Penny and Undertaker leaving and the sound of her mom’s footsteps entering her bedroom. When she heard the bedroom door close, she rushed out of bed and put her hat on her head and pulled out a poncho and a bandana, she climbed out her window and ran to the town making sure to stay in the cover of night.

It was easy to stay undetected, most of the townspeople were sleeping at this hour. She hid behind the sheriff’s office and peaked her head out to see if there were any cops wandering around in front, when she saw the front was empty, she ran to the door and pulled out a bobby pin and a screwdriver and began working on the door. When she heard it click open, she pushed the door open and entered the building, she closed it behind her and locked it.

Once inside, she made sure to stay low to avoid being seen, she checked the building to see if it was occupied, she found it empty and sighed in relief, she ran to the desk and opened its drawers looking for the cell keys, she grabbed them as soon as she saw them, she walked to the cell and opened it and shook the sleeping Bandit awake.

“Psst, bandit,” Rookie whispered.

Bandit awoke with a groan, clearly being annoyed at being so rudely awakened, “What?” He groaned.

“I’m breaking you out, come on,” Rookie answered.

Bandit’s eyes shot open when he heard those words, he turned to look at her surprised and seemed shocked to see the cop, he grinned from ear to ear when he registered that it was Rookie,” You actually came,” He beamed.

“Yeah, I made a promise, I’m not gonna break it, now come on,” Rookie replied, offering him a hand.

He took it eagerly and got to his feet,” So, what’s the plan?” He asked.

“Follow my lead and you’ll be just fine,” Rookie answered.

They ducked down and crept along the path to the back of the building, they soon found the back entrance of the office and Rookie tested the knob to find it was also locked, she knelt down in front of the knob and brought out the bobby pin and screwdriver and proceeded to unlock it, it clicked open and she held the door open for the bandit.

“Hm, you’re pretty good at lock picking, you know, you’d make a pretty good bandit,” Showdown said.

“You know, I don’t have to let you go, I could just put you back in your cell and leave,” Rookie threatened.

“Never mind, nope, just ignore me!” Showdown replied, putting his hands up in surrender.

They walked through the exit and looked for an empty wagon that always lingered the streets, when they spotted it they ran to it, Showdown climbed into the back and Rookie was about to follow but felt her heart freeze when the light of a lantern touched her, she turned to face whoever had caught them in their escape. She found it be another cop whose name she couldn’t remember, at that moment she was thankful for the bandana covering her face otherwise she would’ve been doomed.

“Freeze bandits!” The cop called out.

Rookie panicked and felt instinct take over and without thinking she ran at the cop and punched the cop in the face, he collapsed to the floor and stumbled to get up.

“It’s gonna take more than that to stop me,” The cop croaked.

Rookie looked down at the cop with pity and grabbed him by the shirt collar, before punching him she yelled, “I’m really sorry about this!”

The cop paused when he heard her voice, “Wait, is that you Rook-“ He collapsed in her grip when she punched him square in the face and knocked him out.

She dropped him to the floor and ran to the wagon, she got to the front and whipped the reigns, making the horse run and transport them out of town.

“Holy shit, you just punched a cop!” Showdown exclaimed.

“Yes I know! Please don’t remind me!” Rookie replied with a scowl.

“Hey man, you should be proud, not everyone can punch that good,” Bandit said, leaning back and relaxing in the wagon.

He was silent for a few minutes before speaking, “Thanks, by the way,” he paused, ”For saving me,” Showdown spoke.

Rookie blushed for a moment before speaking, “Oh, uh, don’t mention it, just doing my job,” Rookie replied.

He lifted his back so he could better face her “But you’re not? If anything, you’re doing the exact opposite of your job,” Showdown objected.

“Maybe so, but a cop isn’t supposed to kill someone that doesn’t deserves death, and I know for a fact that you don’t deserve death,” Rookie replied.

Bandit smiled at that, he felt happy that someone saw him as someone good and worthwhile and worthy of saving, with that thought he leaned back and closed his eyes. While bandit felt pride and joy, Rookie kept feeling a sense of doom over her, like there was some ticking time bomb that she couldn’t see. When they reached her home, she pulled on the reigns making the horse come to a halt, she got up from her seat and walked to the bandit and nudged him.

“Hey bandit, wake up,” She spoke in a hushed tone.

He woke up slowly and looked at Rookie with tired eyes, “Oh, we’re here already?” He asked.

“Yep, this is my home, I’m giving you the wagon now, use it to get out of town, that way the cops won’t be able to chase you for a bit, wait for the heat to die down before coming back.” Rookie answered, jumping out of the wagon.

“Hey wait!” Bandit called out in a quiet voice.

“What?” Rookie asked.

“Just, thanks, for helping me out when no one else would,” Bandit replied with a soft smile.

Rookie blushed and looked at the ground, “Hey man, what are friends for?” She answered.

Showdown smiled at that answer and walked to the front of the wagon, before leaving he turned to look at her and called out, “Bye Rookie, good luck with the sheriff!”

Rookie felt a twist and nervous feeling in her gut when Showdown mentioned her boss but she brushed it off, “Bye Showdown,” She replied.

And with that, he went off into the desert and she watched the wagon fade into the darkness of the stage, she went around her house and peaked through the window in her room to make sure no one was in there waiting for her, she climbed up and opened it and snuck inside. She packed away her poncho and bandana and set her hat on the dresser and went to bed, however she found it difficult to get any sleep that night, she kept worrying about the sheriff finding out.

Eventually, dawn broke and she crawled out of bed and put on her hat and went to the main room where she saw her mom sipping on coffee, Selma heard footsteps behind her and she turned around and smiled when she saw her kid.

“Hi Rookie, you okay? You look really tired,” she asked.

“Yep, was just really excited last night, couldn’t get any sleep,” Rookie replied.

“Okay, well, see you later sweetie.” Selma said, embracing her child in a hug before she left for the door.

Rookie walked into town and there seemed to be much more chatter than usual, it made the nervous feeling in her gut return, she jumped when she felt someone tackle her from behind but she relaxed when she saw it was just her friend, Spencer.

“Rookie, did you hear the news?” Spencer asked.

“Uh, no, I just got here,” Rookie replied.

“Showdown Bandit broke out of jail with the help of a mysterious unknown person!” They exclaimed, “Oh, who do you think it is?” Spencer asked with a big smile.

Rookie felt herself sweating and tried to keep it together to not attract attention, “Uh, I don’t know, I just heard about it, I don’t have any idea,” Rookie replied.

“Oh, what if it was a cop that felt guilt at the thought of killing the bandit,” Spencer asked.

Rookie felt like she could throw up at that moment, but she had to play it cool or else people would catch on to her.

“Come on Spencer, don’t you think that’s a little ridiculous?” Rookie replied.

Spencer shrugged, “Eh, it would still be cool,” Spencer said.

“Rookie!” The sheriff called out.

Rookie felt her heart rate spike when she heard her name called, but she took a deep breath and forced a smile. She walked to the boss and kept focusing on his face and trying to read his expression to see if he had caught on at all, she felt a sense of doom over her head when he silently opened the door to his office and waited for her to walk in first.

When she walked inside, the atmosphere was so thick you could cut it with a knife, the office was empty except for the two of them and she noticed Bandit’s cell was wide open and it looks like someone rummaged through it trying to find something. She jumped a little when she heard the door close behind her and she could’ve sworn she had heard the sheriff lock it, he walked slowly past her and she tried to avoid eye contact but she knew he was staring right at her. When he got to his desk but didn’t take a seat her mind was racing with thoughts and the meanings of his actions.

“Have a seat, Rookie,” Sheriff spoke, it sounded more like an order.

Rookie felt her heart rate skyrocket when he said that but tried to stay calm and did what he said, she walked to the chair and sat down and she felt like she was waiting for her own execution, when she sat down the sheriff circled her slowly and she thought he was going to strike at any moment.

“Did you hear about what happened last night?” He asked, his tone sounding predatory.

“Yes, everyone in town is talking about it.” Rookie answered, her hands twitched in her lap.

“Yes, it is quite tragic that the bandit escaped, and after all our hard work too,” Sheriff spoke, sounding sarcastically sad.

Rookie wanted to throw up at the moment, she would’ve given anything if it meant she could leave that room, when he circled around the chair so he could face her, she wanted to cry from all the anxiety and fear she felt. She slowly looked up to the sheriff and tried to read his expression but internally panicked when she couldn’t figure out his expression.

“Do you have any idea how he could’ve escaped?” He asked, sounding like a parent that knew of their child’s crime.

Rookie took a breath ,”No sir, I don’t,” she replied.

“Well apparently, according to a cop near the area, someone was helping him escape, do you know who it might’ve been?” The sheriff asked, leaning down a bit so they were more at eye level.

Rookie wished for a death at that moment but she knew she couldn’t break, otherwise she probably would’ve been hung for treason.

“No sir, I don’t,” she repeated.

Sheriff let out a small laugh, sounding more like a quick exhale, “Well, apparently, according to the cop, the person that helped the bandit escaped sounded shockingly similar to you, but it couldn’t possibly be you, since you’re a loyal cop, right?” He mockingly asked.

Rookie’s stomach was in knots and she felt like she could faint at any second, “No sir, I would never help a crook,” She replied without hesitation.

He let out another small laugh, “Of course you wouldn’t, now one more thing, tell me, do you think I’m an idiot?” He asked.

That question caught Rookie off guard and she thought she misheard him for a moment, “I’m sorry sir, what did you say?” She asked.

Rookie froze when the sheriff quickly grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up from her seat, she grabbed at his arm and tried to pry herself out of his grip but to no avail, she looked at him with pleading eyes but was only met with a glare that could kill.

“I said, do you think I’m an idiot?” He hissed.

“No sir! I don’t think that!” She cried.

“Then why are you lying right to my face?” He shouted.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about sir,” She replied nervously.

He dropped her and she fell to the floor and landed with a thud, he approached her and she backed away nervously until her back was to the wall and she looked up at him with pure fear in her eyes.

“Don’t lie to me, you know what I’m talking about!” He shouted, “You expected me to believe that after all that questioning about killing the bandit and then the same night he’s helped by a mysterious person that sounds just like you, you expect me to not realize it was you!?” The sheriff barked.

Rookie panicked when she realized the cat was out of the bag but she hoped that by complying, he would calm down and she could get off the hook this one time.

“Okay I confess! It was me sir! I just couldn’t stand by and let him die!

The sheriff sighed, sounding annoyed, he put his head in his hand, “You know Rookie, you’re pretty dumb for a cop,” He hissed.

“But he didn’t deserve it, sir! He was kind and understanding, not some hardened criminal or serial killer!” She replied, pleading her case.

He grabbed her by the shirt collar and pulled her to his face, “Of course he acted nice, he’s a bandit, he’s a liar, a manipulator! He acted that way so he could gain your trust and your help!” He barked.

“But, he, but he called me a friend!” Rookie replied, feeling tears stinging her eyes and threatening to fall.

“He lied!” He shouted, throwing her back down, “He made you think he was your friend so he could use you! Did you actually think he liked you in any way?” He questioned.

Rookie felt her heart break at those words, she told him things she had told no one, now her brain felt mixed up, using every sweet word as evidence of their bond only for it to be broken by the sheriff’s words.

She clutched her head and ran her hands through her hair and sobbed, “But, but he-I, trusted him,” She sobbed, “He would never use me, would he?” She asked.

The sheriff got strangely kind after that and he sat down next to her and pulled her into an embrace, Rookie hesitated at first but eventually wrapped her arms around him and leaned into his touch.

“It’s okay Rookie, you didn’t know,” The sheriff spoke calmly.

“But, he was so kind,“ Rookie sobbed.

“He was kind so he could get into your head.” The sheriff replied, stroking her head.

Rookie felt heartbroken but something about his touch calmed her and she felt the pain slowly fade, she let out a small sigh of relief, believing that the sheriff was calm now and she would’t get into any big trouble.

“So what happens now?” She asked.

“Now, we find the bandit, but first.” He replied, removing his arms from her and standing back up.

He offered her a hand and she gladly took it, she got to her knees and looked up to the sheriff with a smile. Suddenly the sheriff’s calm smile was replaced with a dark look in his eyes and Rookie felt a sense of a danger over her and all of her instincts were screaming at her to leave.

“You need to learn the consequences of your actions so you’ll never make this mistake again,” The sheriff spoke coldly.

Suddenly Rookie was on the floor crying in pain and clutching her eye, her mind was fuzzy and she was trying to process what just happened, all she could remember was the sheriff pulling back his fist and then a searing pain in her eye, she sobbed and before she could plead with the sheriff, he grabbed her by the back of her shirt and walked to the closet, he opened the door and threw her inside and before she could get to her knees he slammed the door close and locked it.

She stumbled in the darkness and ran to the door and pounded on it with her fists and sobbed.

“Please! Don’t leave me in here! I won’t do it again, I promise!” She sobbed.

“Don’t cry Rookie, if you stay quiet, I’ll let you out in a bit,” The sheriff replied, seeming unbothered by her sobbing.

Rookie held back her sobs and she just sat at the corner of the closet and tried to be as quiet as possible.

“It’s okay, he’ll let you out, you deserve this, this is your punishment.” She whispered to herself while rocking back and forth.

Time felt like an eternity and she just sat in silence waiting for the door to open, her face was still wet from her tears but she didn’t let out any noise, she robbed at her damaged eye and sighed. She leaned her head back against the wall and tried to hold back a sob as she thought about the entire situation, the sheriff must have been right, he wouldn’t lie to her, right? The bandit didn’t care about her and he used her to escape and now she was facing her punishment for letting him go, she deserved this, right? The most painful part was the sense of betrayal she felt from the bandit, she couldn’t believe she let herself be so easily used, like a toy.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the closet door be unlocked and slowly open, the light blinded her for a moment and she hissed in pain but quickly adjusted to it, she looked up to see the Sheriff staring down at her. He offered her a hand and she gladly took it and jumped into his embrace, the sheriff didn’t return her embrace but he let her stay.

“Rookie,” He spoke calmly.

Rookie took a step back and looked back up at him, waiting eagerly for his words.

“You know why I had to do that, right?” He asked.

“Yes, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again, I know what the bandit’s true intentions are now, I won’t let him use me again,” Rookie replied.

“Good,” The sheriff replied with a smile.

The sheriff then put his hand on Rookie’s shoulder and his grip was tight and Rookie felt her smile fade away a bit and she looked up at him nervously.

“You better not do it again, because if you do, the consequences will be much more severe,” The sheriff warned her.

Rookie forced a smile on her face and tried to be happy, “I won’t sir, never again,” Rookie replied.


End file.
